Ilford HP5 Plus Black and White Negative Film ISO 400 (120 Roll Film)

If you’re new to film photography you’ve probably heard of or remember names like Kodak, Canon, Polaroid, and so on. But who is Ilford? And how does their Ilford HP5 Plus film stack up? Ilford isn’t a newbie in the world of film. They’ve been around since 1879 – pretty much the dawn of photography! They’re based in England. They used to even make cameras, too. They’ve got a number of lines of film in both 35mm and 120 format. I, of course, use the 120 format for my Holga camera. I like the Ilford HP5 Plus, which is black and white, for its price and good quality. This competes with the Kodak Tri-X 400 film. 120 format film, for those who are new to film photography, is 60mm high. It is NOT the same as 35mm film :). It’s taller. It won’t fit in a 35mm camera – it’s made for 120-format cameras. A roll of 120 format film generally fits 12-16 images per film roll depending on whether you shoot square or tall-rectangular. This film itself is marked as ILFORD HP5 PLUS and 4205 at the bottom. I took a rough image of a roll against my monitor to show this. I’m not sure what the 4205 stands for – I have written them to ask! It also has the exposure marks along the top but again this would depend if you’re choosing to shoot square or tall-rectangular images on it. The overlaps were my choice, based on how I wound the film. I’ve used the film in a number of situations and always love it. For example, here’s an image I took on a cruise to Cozumel on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas. It’s the right-most image in the above image of the raw film. We were docked next to another ship here. I love how the slight overlaps on the left and right frame the balconies, and how they all have the same tables and chairs but in varying configurations. Then the white of the ship below adds another frame. Again, to clarify, the overlaps came from me. I chose to overlap my images. I love the gentle softness that I get with the Ilford HP-5 Plus. It’s just the right level of contrast. My Holga always gives images a moody feel to them and the Ilford plays right along with that. Well recommended.

This black and white film is awesome. I've had such great results with it that I keep ordering more! Honestly the value for the money is outstanding. I'd recommend it to anyone shooting film, especially those who are budget conscious!

I love this film. Ive used this in a 1929 Kodak Pocket folding camera, and a 1958 Yashica Yashicamat TLR. Attached are a couple of samples that I took with the Yashicamat. Even though this is a 400 speed film, the grain is not very noticeable. It is extremely flexible in terms of exposure. If you are shooting outdoors, you dont need to worry about using an exposure meter with this camera, just use the "Sunny 16" rule. With this film, set your shutter speed as close to 1/400 sec as possible (most cameras dont have a 1/400 speed so 1/250 is fine). In bright sunlight with harsh shadows, set your aperture to f/16 and you will be properly exposed. If you are outdoors with hazy sun with soft shadows, set it to f/11. If the sky is overcast/cloudy, set it to f/8. If there are heavy clouds, rain, or in total shade, use f/5.6 and your pictures will always come out nice!

There aren't as many film manufacturers as they were back in the days when film and photography were inseparable. Ilford has always had one of the higher quality product lines, and has continued to offer it in mid- format size (120) among others.

Believe it or not, people still use film! Ilford while not my first choice for film has stood the test of time, as AGFA and Kodak have closed their doors in the process of producing film. That being said,I have been using Ilford's HP5 Plus for the past few years and have found it to be very useful, if you are shooting within its accepted curve range. If not then, it is a stretch, with lots of dodging and burning. This was especially troublesome shooting 120 6x7, as it is a huge difference in content focus from having shot 35. As long Ilford continues to produce film, I will continue to photograph with it.

I must admit when I bought HP5 I kinda had low expectations because it was not pricy. I had just bought my Yashica 635 and I wanted a roll just to test functionality. Well after getting my photos developed I can honestly say my expectations were exceeded by far! In low light situations it has that gritty grain that adds character to a photo. The blacks are true and the dynamic range is ubelievable. It was also sitting in my camera as it got scanned through airport security with no problems. I will def be buying more.

Read reviews, alot of expired film, not mentioned in the ad, but guess price reflects that... Box was old n worn n open...film was laying inside Amazon package...bought May 2023...film dated July 2022...not to old but wonder how it was stored...will use n find out...

I love this film, and the prints turned out great. A lot of fun for double exposure. I wish there were more print shops around...! Took a while to find a spot to print

Tengo una cámara de formato medio (6x6), hoy en día cuesta trabajo encontrar película y gracias a Ilford esto se hace más llevadero. Son unos carretes de buena calidad, fáciles de revelar y de disparar. Llevo gastados bastantes y no me he encontrado nunca ninguna incidencia ni problemas de enganches o malas fabricaciones. Muy contento con el resultado, da un Blanco y negro muy agradable con una buena gama de grises. En algún caso lo he forzado hasta en dos pasos con buenos resultados también.

Ein super Film.

My favourite medium format film for my fujifilm ! Buy it !!

Excellent

Hadn’t used this film for years, but pleasantly surprised. Trying out a ‘new’ retro camera. Exposures very even across speeds and stops when rated ISO 400. Nice tonal quality, good blacks without losing detail.